The Odd Blog
This British summer has teased us over the course of several months. We all have been praying and hoping for more sun, but let’s be honest. A lot of us aren’t made for the heat and that feels oh so true when you’re roasting coffee on a cast iron Probat in the middle of August, so it always helps to have a recipe for relief in your back pocket.
Cold Brew.
For those that aren’t familiar with the magic of a cold-brewed coffee, I feel nothing but excitement for you.
With a gentler, longer and cooler extraction, cold brew results in a super smooth and balanced coffee (best served over ice imo!) The cold water used to brew means you get a less astringent cup, and highlights any juicy or fruity notes in coffee to its maximum.
There’s several ways you can do this at home, for more personal servings or if you’re planning to host for many, it’s super, super easy.
You can either get your hands on a nifty bit of kit that is specifically designed for this occasion or you can get away with bits you’ll probably have at home.
We’ve tried, tested and recommend:
- Hario Cold Brew Bottle- A jug which as a removable sieve with a fine mesh
- Nut milk bags (a bag used to make alternative milks)- Just put your coffee grounds in the bag like a big tea bag and take it out when you’re ready to strain.
- Or just a big tub to brew in and a V60.
There’s no official way, so long as you have something fine enough to filter all the grounds out with later.
Traditional Overnight
A great method for those that plan ahead.
Can be scaled up or down depending on how many servings you want to make, but it’s roughly 1:10 ratio of coffee to water.
(about 4 servings)
100g coarsely ground coffee (similar to cafetiere)
1L cold filtered water
- Add the coffee and cold water into a tub.
- Give a gentle stir to ensure all the grounds are wet.
- Leave in fridge to brew for 12-16 hrs.
- Set your V60 with a filter paper over a jug (ideally big enough to fit all 1L of the coffee in) and pour your cold brew into the V60 and wait for it to pass through.
*You should be able to top up the V60 twice before replacing with a fresh paper and pouring through the rest.
- Once all the coffee has been filtered, enjoy your cold brew over ice and store in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Flash Brew
A fab method for those that forget to plan ahead.
With a flash brew, a coffee “concentrate is made” and diluted using ice. You can use any brew method to make your concentrate, but we’ve been enjoying using a good old Aeropress and the inverted method.
(1 serving)
30g medium ground coffee
100ml hot water (94-90℃)
120g ice
- Set up your Aeropress inverted on scales, add ground coffee. Pre-wet two filter papers into the cap and set aside.
- Pour in 100ml hot water and stir vigorously 20 times, leave to brew for 40 secs.
- Screw on the cap with the 2 papers, depress the excess air.
- Invert and depress into a jug or cup.
- Add 120g ice and stir to chill down.
- Fill a separate glass with lots of new ice and pour over to serve.
- Et Voila! Cold Brew in less than, what…. 3 minutes?
Want to know more about different ways to brew your beans?
Join one of our fun weekend classes at the OddKin roastery!
Suitable for all levels of experience.
Bring a pal and mess around with some fab coffee for a morning or afternoon.
Click below to read more and see our available classes:
